Hi there and welcome!
My name is Melanie McDonald, a.k.a A Virtual Vegan, but you can call me Mel!
Welcome you to my little corner of the internet. I'm really happy to have you visit! ♡
I'm the recipe developer, writer, food stylist and photographer behind the popular vegan recipes blog A Virtual Vegan, and author of the cookbook Vegan Comfort Cooking.
I run A Virtual Vegan from my home on Vancouver Island (British Columbia, Canada) with my 2 dogs Charlie and Chester, who work very hard as chief taste-testers and crumb-clearer-uppers. I'm originally from Devon, England, and immigrated to Canada in 2013.
What You'll Find on A Virtual Vegan
- Reliable Recipes. You can feel confident that every single one of my recipes is tried and tested thoroughly until perfect by me and a small team of recipe testers. I do this so that I can be absolutely sure they will work well not just in my kitchen, but in yours too. That's why A Virtual Vegan has become such a trusted resource for millions of vegans across the world.
- Vegan recipes to suit every skill level. My recipes range from simple to suit those just starting out on their vegan journey, to more advanced to suit those with a higher skill level.
- Approachable Recipes. Whether a straightforward recipe or a more complicated one, I guide you through with clear step-by-step photos, a video, very detailed instructions, and lots of tips!
- Flavourful Recipes. Every recipe is developed with a real focus on flavour. These are seriously tasty vegan recipes that everyone will love, vegan or not!
Let's Start From The Beginning...
It should come as no surprise to hear that I love food. If I'm not eating it, I'm thinking about it and it's been like that for as long as I can remember. Helping out in the kitchen from a very young age, combined with lots of travelling throughout my life, has given me an invaluable appreciation and understanding of worldly flavours.
A Virtual Vegan was born when I became vegan in 2015, as a culmination of my ethical choice to become vegan, years surrounded by global influences, and my ultimate love of cooking. My goal from the very beginning has been to develop the best vegan recipes and give you the confidence to cook your own incredible vegan food from scratch.
Get Cooking!
More About Mel & the Blog
My husband, son, and I went to a local Saanich farm festival for a "fun" day out. It turned out to be anything but fun when they started auctioning off the very friendly farm animals that I had been making a fuss of and petting all day by the pound. I immediately realized what was going to happen to them. My lightbulb moment so to speak and the catalyst for me turning vegan, quite literally overnight.
You might be wondering why my website name is A Virtual Vegan. Well, when things began, I planned to stay completely anonymous. I'm a quiet person and do my best to avoid being the centre of attention.
The word "virtual" has many meanings, one of which is "to exist primarily online," and that's what I planned to do. As things have grown, that's had to change a bit, but I am and will always be a bit of a wallflower.
In these days of AI, I find myself regretting the choice of name a bit, but it's been my brand name for over a decade so I guess we're stuck with it!
And Now?
What started as a hobby has grown into a full-blown business that reaches millions of people every year, I've written a cookbook, and my work has been featured in publications such as NBC News, Buzzfeed, Parade Magazine, BBC, and Food Network, amongst others. (View my press page here).
I’m extremely fortunate to be able to make a living doing what I truly love – creating and sharing my favourite recipes with people from all over the world, and after years of doing this, I am still stunned when I see how many of you visit my website every day. It makes me incredibly happy to see your remake photos and comments after you try my recipes. I am so grateful for your support!
Mel's Favourite Recipes
These are some of my personal favourites. Recipes I make myself over and over!
New Here?
If this is your first time visiting A Virtual Vegan, I highly recommend visiting my Start Here page and browsing my recipe index to find some recipes that take your fancy.
I also recommend that you sign up to get my email newsletter. That way, we can stay in touch and you will never miss any of my new recipes.
Then go see what I keep in my vegan pantry and check out my vegan kitchenware essentials before following me on social media. I am @avirtualvegan on all of them.
I love it when you share your remakes on Instagram. Tag me @avirtualvegan. 😀